Frozen in Time
by MegTDJ
Summary: Missing scene for A Matter of Time. Daniel is stranded for two weeks offworld, not knowing whether his friends are dead or alive.


Title: Frozen in Time  
Author: MegTDJ  
Category: Missing scene; drama  
Rating: K  
Pairing: Daniel/Janet friendship  
Spoilers: A Matter of Time  
Summary: Missing scene for A Matter of Time; Daniel is stranded for two weeks off-world, not knowing whether his friends are dead or alive. #11 in the Love Comes Softly series.  
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1, its universe and its characters are not mine. The story itself is, however, so please don't archive without my permission.

Author's notes: There may be some confusion over the order of the latest missing scenes in this series, so I'm going to warn you ahead of time - I'm going by the order they aired rather than the order they're listed on the DVDs. I'd created this timeline for Daniel and Janet long before I got the DVDs, so… yeah. You don't have to point it out to me, because I already know. ;)

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

**Frozen in Time**

Daniel crossed his fingers and closed his eyes as Major Santiago approached the DHD and started dialling. He could hear the Stargate's inner ring start to turn, the chevrons locking one by one… until he pressed the center crystal.

Then... nothing.

Daniel felt his stomach sink into his shoes when silence fell over the little group gathered in front of P3X 808's Stargate. There was nothing more terrifying than trying to dial home and getting no response.

"It's been two hours," he said quietly.

"I know that, Dr. Jackson," Major Santiago said rather snappishly. He sighed and shuffled his feet in the dirt as he seemed to assess their situation. After a few seconds, he turned back to the DHD. "We'll try the Alpha Site," he said. "Maybe somebody there knows what the hell's going on."

Daniel held his breath as the major dialled the Alpha Site. He was fairly sure there was nothing wrong with the Stargate itself - they'd been able to dial Earth just six hours earlier to give their scheduled report - but thoughts of being stranded on this abandoned world forever were starting to take over his mind.

Everybody in the group released a breath simultaneously as the Stargate roared to life. Their worries hadn't been relieved yet, though. Knowing there was nothing wrong with the gate on their end meant only one thing - Earth was in trouble.

"Alright, move out, people," Major Santiago said, gesturing for everybody to go through ahead of him.

Daniel followed as the other members of SG-6, Dr. Burrows, and Dr. Freeman stepped through the gate and surveyed their surroundings on the other side. He couldn't help but notice that Dr. Burrows looked scared half to death. This had been her first off-world dig.

Major Santiago came through right behind Daniel, just seconds before the gate shut down. "Major Nichols," he called to one of the four men approaching them from the military huts set up a short distance from the gate. "Have you had contact with Stargate Command in the last few hours?"

"Not since about five hours ago," Major Nichols said. "SG-5 was supposed to be here to relieve us by now. We tried dialling home a few minutes ago and couldn't get through."

Daniel inwardly groaned, though he tried not to show his worry on the outside. He knew it might just mean there'd been a temporary problem with the gate that Sam would fix in no time. He also knew it could mean that Earth had been attacked, and his friends were in trouble or even dead.

"Looks like SG's 4 and 6 will be camping out here for the time being, folks," Major Santiago said. "We'll keep dialling home every hour on the hour until we get a connection."

Nichols nodded. "In the meantime, I want guards on the gate at all times," he said, gesturing to two of his men to take position on either side. "The rest of you, come with me. I'll show you where you can bunk."

Daniel couldn't help but wish as he followed Major Nichols towards his new home that he'd stayed on Earth with the rest of SG-1 instead of going on this dig with SG-6. Even if they were under attack or worse, he would rather be in trouble with them than out here on his own.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

_October 10, 1998_

Day 5

God, I can't believe it's only been five days. It seems like we've been here forever already.

Major Nichols said this morning that we are no longer to try the Stargate every one or two hours. It's down to every six hours now. I think he's given up hope. There's no way a wormhole could be connected for this long, so that leaves two options - they've closed off the gate for some reason, or the SGC has been destroyed and the gate is either buried under rubble or in pieces. I'm not willing to believe it's the latter. Not yet.

I keep having dreams about everybody back home. I can see them standing there on the other side of the gate, but I can't get through the event horizon. It's like it's made of bulletproof glass, and all I can do is stand there and look at them. If only I could have that much - just to know they're alive, even if I can't get to them.

Other than that, life here on the Alpha Site is pretty uneventful. Burrows, Freeman, and I have spent most of our time playing cards, since Major Nichols won't let us take our turn at guarding the gate. We do occasionally get to dial home, but that takes all of five seconds. Neither of them seem to be dealing with this very well, so I'm trying to keep them as calm as I can. It's not easy. Thank God we have plenty of supplies here. I swear Freeman is hungry 24/7.

Still no word from SG-10. We're starting to think they must have made it back to Earth before this whole thing began.

I really wish we could contact the Tok'ra. This is exactly the kind of situation where our alliance might have come in handy.

Jack, Sam, Teal'c, Janet, Cassie, General Hammond… I hope you guys are safe, wherever you are.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

"Dr. Jackson! We need the med kit, now!"

Daniel jogged into the medical supplies tent, grabbed the med kit, and hurried over to the small group gathered just beyond the Stargate. "What happened?" he asked as Major Santiago grabbed the kit from him.

Santiago nodded towards Dr. Burrows, who was sitting on the ground clutching her leg. "Somebody thought they'd do a little exploring," he said angrily.

"Forgive me, Major, but you've given us nothing better to do," Burrows said, wincing as Santiago grabbed her bare foot and started wrapping gauze around her ankle.

"Yeah, and for a reason," he grumbled.

Daniel rolled his eyes when he met Burrows' gaze. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I think so," she said. "I don't think it's broken. Damn alien rabbit holes..."

Daniel smiled, but it was short lived. He realized, as he looked at the other ten people in the little group, that they were actually starting to get used to being here. Burrows and Freeman were starting to relax and enjoy the scenery of their new home. Captain Lorne, one of the members of SG-4, had organized a poker tournament a couple days earlier. And, while Major Santiago was just as grumpy with everyone as ever, they were all starting to feel more at home with each other.

This wasn't what he'd hoped would happen. Two days on this planet had seemed like too long to keep hope alive, let alone two weeks.

Oh God... they were dead. They had to be. There was no other explanation.

"Are you okay, Dr. Jackson?" Captain Lorne asked.

Daniel had to force himself to turn to look at him, as his mind was suddenly having trouble focusing on reality. "Um... yeah," he said. "I'm fine."

Lorne glanced at his watch and then over at the group moving slowly back towards camp. "I think it was Dr. Burrows' turn to dial the gate," he said. "Why don't you give it a shot?"

Daniel nodded and moved slowly towards the DHD. He knew Lorne was just trying to make him feel better, but dialling Earth's address and getting no response at all wasn't his idea of a pick-me-up. Still, there wasn't much else to do.

He took his time pressing each symbol, trying to make it last as long as possible. One... two... three... four... five... six... seven... Then he made a quick wish and leaned down on the center crystal.

The Stargate gave a disappointed groan and fell silent.

"Damn," Daniel said under his breath. He turned to Captain Lorne and shrugged.

Lorne nodded and turned to go back to their camp.

Daniel sighed and followed suit. There was really nothing else to do or say. They were never going home.

They'd barely gone ten paces away from the gate when they heard a strange sound behind them that sounded strangely like... the Stargate's inner ring turning?

Daniel and Lorne spun around to look at the gate as the first chevron locked. They looked at each other as chevron two was activated. Then together they turned back around and called, "Major Nichols! The Stargate!"

By the time the seventh chevron had locked, all but Burrows and Freeman had made it back to the gate. As soon as the wormhole was established, their radios crackled and a most welcome voice said, "SG-4 Niner, this is Captain Carter. Do you read?"

A sudden cheer went up from the group, so loud that Daniel's eardrums were ringing by the time it died down enough that he could answer the hail. "Sam?" he said into his radio between slaps to his shoulders from the other men. "It's Daniel. SG-4 and SG-6 are here with me, as well as Dr. Burrows and Dr. Freeman."

"Daniel! Oh, thank God. We just tried dialling P3X 808, and got no answer."

"We came to the Alpha Site as soon as we realized we couldn't gate home," Daniel said. "What the hell happened to you guys? We thought you were dead."

Sam huffed a laugh. "We very nearly were. It's a long story, but suffice to say it's a bad idea to connect with a planet that's being sucked into a black hole."

Daniel and the others exchanged confused glances. Black hole? "Sounds like a story I want to hear," Daniel said.

"Captain, this is Major Santiago," Santiago interrupted on his own radio. "Please tell me this means we're free to come on home."

"I'm sorry, Sir," Sam said. "We had to set off a bomb in the gateroom, so I'm afraid it'll be about an hour before you can safely return. We just wanted to make sure you were all alright."

Daniel laughed out loud as Captain Lorne grinned and slapped him on the shoulder again. An hour? After two weeks of this exile, what was another hour?

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

The gateroom was buzzing with activity when Daniel and his group arrived home an hour later. He was happy to see, though, that aside from the glass currently being installed in the control room windows and the fact that the gateroom was in terrible need of a fresh paint job, the damage seemed to have been minimal.

His attention was soon diverted from his surroundings, however, when he saw familiar faces heading his way. "Sam!" he cried, running down the ramp and sweeping her up in a joyful hug. "God, I thought I was never gonna see you guys again!"

Sam laughed and hugged him back.

When she released him, Daniel turned to Teal'c. A hug seemed the wrong thing for Teal'c, so he slapped him on the shoulder instead. "It's good to see you, Teal'c," he said.

"It is good to see you also, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said with a slight bow.

Daniel grinned and looked around the control room for Jack. He couldn't see him anywhere in the sea of faces, but his eyes did settle on someone else he was happy to see. "Janet!"

Janet had just bustled into the gateroom with a medical team in tow, but when she saw Daniel her serious expression turned into a smile. "Daniel! Are you alright?"

Daniel laughed. "I'm fine," he said, enveloping her in a bear hug. "It was you guys who had a run-in with a black hole."

Janet seemed flustered by the sudden intimate contact, and quickly backed away a step as soon as Daniel let her go. "I...I just heard a medical team was needed down here..." she stammered.

Daniel felt embarrassed for invading her personal space like that, so he shoved his hands in his pockets and nodded over to Dr. Burrows, who was being fussed over by a couple of medics. "She sprained her ankle earlier," he said. "Other than that, we're all fine."

Janet smiled again. "Good," she said. "I was a little worried for a second there."

Daniel smiled back, and glanced around one more time for Jack. Still no sign of him. "Where's Jack?" he asked, looking over at Sam and Teal'c in confusion.

"Uh..." Sam said hesitantly. "He, uh... was injured in the blast."

Daniel's face fell, as did his internal organs. "Is he okay?"

"He'll be fine," Janet assured him. "He's unconscious, and I imagine he will be for a while, but I expect him to make a full recovery."

Her words and positive tone should have made him feel better, but he still felt a twinge of dread in the pit of his stomach. "Is it okay if I sit with him?" he asked.

Janet paused for a second, and then said, "Yes, that's fine. But... I think he'll be unconscious long enough for you to take a shower."

It took a few seconds for this to sink in, but then Daniel realized how long it had been since he'd thoroughly washed himself. "Oh," he said as a sheepish grin spread across his face. "Sorry. I, uh... I guess I'll just..." He pointed towards the door of the gateroom and nodded at Sam and Teal'c.

"We'll meet you in the infirmary, Daniel," Sam said between chuckles.

Daniel felt better than he had in days as he left the gateroom and headed for the locker room. God, it was good to be home. And for once, he hadn't been the one in trouble while everybody else worried about him. They'd all been frozen in time for the majority of the past two weeks, so they'd barely even had a chance to miss him. He was the one doing all the worrying this time.

And it wasn't over yet.

He took a quick shower and entered the infirmary less than fifteen minutes later. Sam, Teal'c, and General Hammond were standing on one side of the room talking amongst themselves, and Janet was standing over an unconscious Jack, checking his vitals.

Unconscious... but he looked dead.

He moved towards the bed without actually realizing he was moving. "He's really okay?" he asked when Janet looked up at him.

She smiled softly. "He's going to be fine, Daniel," she said. "He should be waking up any time now."

Daniel folded his arms tightly across his chest, the sight of his friend lying there looking so pale giving him a chill.

"I can't even imagine what you must have been going through out there the past two weeks," Janet said. "Were you alright?"

Daniel did a double take between Jack and Janet before he processed her words. Boy, did he need sleep. "Uh, yeah," he said. "We were fine. We went to the Alpha Site. It's a very handy thing to have now," he added with a smile.

Janet returned the smile warmly. "Well, I'm glad you're home, Daniel," she said, touching his arm and giving it a light squeeze. "Things are finally starting to feel normal again."

Daniel had to agree when he looked down at Jack and saw his eyes flicker open. Janet quickly moved the light away from Jack's face and stepped to the side to let Daniel get closer. He felt her give him a reassuring pat on the back as she walked by, and then Sam, General Hammond, and Teal'c crowded around the bed, too. Things were definitely starting to feel normal again.

"Hey, Jack," Daniel said quietly. "Did I miss anything?"

The End


End file.
